Brian Wansink facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brian Wansink
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Wansink in 1998
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| Born | June 28, 1960 |
| Alma mater | Wayne State College (BS) Drake University (MA) Stanford University (PhD) |
| Awards | Ig Nobel Prize (2007) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | consumer behavior, nutrition psychology |
| Institutions | Cornell University, University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth College, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
Brian Wansink (born June 28, 1960) is an American former professor and researcher. He studied how people make choices about food and what they buy. From 2007 to 2009, he led a group at the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) that focused on food policy. He also worked at Cornell University, where he ran the Cornell Food and Brand Lab.
His lab looked into why people choose certain foods and how to help them make healthier choices. However, starting in 2017, serious problems were found in his research papers. These problems included conclusions that didn't match the information, repeated information in different papers, and mistakes in how he analyzed his studies. Because of these issues, Cornell University decided in 2018 that Brian Wansink had made serious research mistakes. He was removed from teaching and research, and he later left the university.
Contents
About Brian Wansink
Early Life and School
Brian Wansink was born in Sioux City, Iowa. He grew up in a working-class family. He earned a bachelor's degree in business in 1982 from Wayne State College. Later, he received a master's degree in journalism from Drake University in 1984. He then earned his Ph.D. in marketing, focusing on how people behave as consumers, from Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1990.
His Work and Research
Teaching at Universities
After finishing his studies, Wansink became a professor. He taught at several well-known universities. These included the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College (1990–1994) and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (1995–1997). He also taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1997–2005). In 2005, he moved to Cornell University.
Studying Food Choices
Wansink's research often looked at how things like portion sizes affect how much people eat. For example, some of his work helped lead to smaller packaging for certain foods.
One famous study from his lab in 2005 was called "Bottomless bowls." In this experiment, some people ate from bowls that secretly refilled themselves. People eating from these "bottomless" bowls ate more soup than those whose bowls were filled by hand. This showed that people often eat based on how much they think is in front of them, not just how hungry they are. In 2007, Wansink received an Ig Nobel Prize for this study. This prize is given for funny or unusual scientific achievements.
In 2006, Wansink wrote a book called Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think. This book shared his research on why we eat what we do, how much, and when. It also gave tips on how to eat better. The book was seen as helpful in fighting obesity in the United States.
He also looked at how recipes changed over time. In one study, he claimed that calorie counts in an old cookbook, The Joy of Cooking, had increased a lot since 1936. This idea was used to explain why people might be eating more unhealthy foods. However, others later found problems with how he did this study. They said he looked at too few recipes and compared different types of dishes unfairly.
Working for the USDA
From 2007 to 2009, Brian Wansink worked for the USDA. He was the executive director of the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. In this role, he helped oversee important guidelines for healthy eating, like the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. He also helped with other food programs run by the USDA.
In 2011, he was chosen to be the president of the Society for Nutrition Education for one year.
Problems with His Research
Studies That Were Questioned
In 2017, people started to question the accuracy of Wansink's research. This happened after he wrote a blog post about how he asked a student to find interesting results from a study that didn't show much at first. This led to several papers being published.
Other scientists looked closely at these papers, sometimes called "the pizza papers." They found many issues. These included conclusions that didn't seem to be supported by the information, and numbers that looked impossible or incorrect. Critics also said that Wansink did not share the original information from his studies when asked. This made it hard for others to check his work.
Cornell University's Review
Because of these concerns, Cornell University started its own investigation. They found that Wansink had made many mistakes in how he handled information and analyzed his studies. They also found cases where he used parts of his own previous work without proper credit.
Over time, many of Wansink's papers were officially withdrawn or corrected by the scientific journals that published them. By September 2018, Cornell University decided that Brian Wansink had committed serious research misconduct. This meant he had made major errors or acted improperly in his scientific work. As a result, he was removed from all teaching and research jobs at the university. He later resigned from Cornell.
Personal Life
Brian Wansink is married and has three daughters. His wife studied to be a chef.
See also
- List of scientific misconduct incidents
